


The Crown

by TotallyNotASecretAO3Account



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Brotherly Love, Child! Sides, Fluff, Janus is only mentioned briefly though, The twins have a strong imagination, There are multiple "fight scenes" but the boys are barely ten and they're fighting with pool noodles, just imagining everything else, silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28333941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TotallyNotASecretAO3Account/pseuds/TotallyNotASecretAO3Account
Summary: Roman and Remus can't wait until their birthday to see what their father bought them. Surely, it wouldn't harm anyone to sneak into his room and see what he got for their gifts, right?Turns out, the twins are very wrong, and the two find themselves in a battle for the crown.______________________________________________________________________________Created for @bothcreativitybois over on Tumblr for the 2020 Sanders Sides Holiday Gift Exchange!Wish: "Child Roman and Remus fighting over a toy crown"
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	The Crown

**Author's Note:**

> No trigger warnings that I know of, please comment if you'd like me to add any! This is a pretty light hearted fic, so I'm pretty sure there's no trigger/content warnings, but if anything bothers anyone at all just let me know and I'll add a warning asap!
> 
> Anyways though... Happy holidays AJ! I hope you enjoy this fic. I took a lot of creative liberties with this prompt so I hope it's something like what you had in mind, and that either way you enjoy it!  
> Happy holidays again!  
> \- Meg

"I bet it's a bunch of candy!"

"No way, it's definitely costumes. Obviously!"

"Pff, in your dreams, dumbie! Dad got us a whoooole bunch a candy, I'm calling it now!"

The two young boys sat on the couch, hiding under a blanket while Thomas brought the shopping bags in from the car and into his bedroom. Their birthday was coming up, so it was time for him to shop for their gifts. Their dad had seen them sitting in the living room, and immediately ordered them to cover their eyes so they couldn't see as he had to walk through that room to get to his own. Roman and Remus had grinned and hid quickly, and were now desperately trying to guess what their gifts could possibly be.

"Maybe it's a new video game," Roman pondered, frowning, "I did tell Dad I wanted the new Mario Kart. He could've gotten me that."

"You getting that?" Remus scoffed, rolling his eyes and looking as exasperated as a nearly-ten-year old possibly could be, "No way. Dad only buys us video games to share, you know that!"

"We're older now though!"

Remus stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry instead of responding. Roman glared and looked away, turning his face up as much as possible with the blanket directly over them. 

"We are older, or at least I am! You're still as immature as ever, it is very dis-becoming!"

"You mean unbecoming?" Remus asked. Roman glared, unwilling to admit his mistake.

"No, I mean dis-becoming! It's a word!" He argued, "I'll ask Logan! He'll say I'm right, you just wait an' see. It is real!"

"Is not!"

"Alright guys," Thomas' voice interrupted the twin's argument. Roman and Remus froze. "You can come out of the blanket, everything is hidden."

"Finally!" Roman exclaimed dramatically, pushing the blanket off the second he heard he could. He pinched his nose between two fingers and waved away imaginary air, "Remus stinks! That was awful!"

Remus just laughed, and Thomas chuckled and shook his head.

"Shhh, don't be so loud, your brother is asleep," Thomas reminded. Roman frowned and lowered his volume, remembering Patton was taking a nap in the other room. Their walls were thin; he didn't want to wake him up. He and Remus both mumbled an apology.

"I'm going to go make dinner now, so you two go play, okay?" Thomas said, smiling and walking away. He stopped just as he reached the doorway, and turned around to look at both of the twins. 

"Don't you two go sneaking around," He warned, "Stay away from the presents, or I'll know. Okay?"

Remus and Roman both nodded immediately, agreeing without question. Thomas smiled and left, unwisely trusting the two's promise. The boys looked at each other and grinned the second he was gone.

"Wanna go see the gifts?" Remus asked, and Roman nodded excitedly.

The two stood up slowly and tiptoed upstairs, the world transforming around them as they moved. They were no longer two kids at home, sneaking to find out what their birthday presents would be... They were spies, running silently through an old and secretive warehouse. The stakes were raised. Thomas couldn't find them because he'd ground them, oh no. He was an evil leader of the evilest organization on the face of Earth. Remus and Roman were spy partners, the only two who could save the world... and they had to get the secret information.

"Spy Remus, do you see anyone?" Roman whispered, back to the wall as he looked over to his spy partner. Remus kept his back pressed up against the wall and glanced around the corner, peeking his head out to check for guards. The halls were clear, and he gave a thumbs up with a missing tooth-smile. The two stepped out from the shadows and ran down the hallway, always sure to check that their footsteps were as quiet as possible. They were thankful for their socks, or, uh,  _ special spy shoes _ , that kept their steps muted on the floor beneath them.

"There it is," Remus said in a hushed voice, pointing to the Evil Leader's office ahead. The door was old and covered in evil slime, with a sign that read "Keep Out!!" in the scariest letters the two had ever seen. They saw smoke coming out from the gap between the door and the ground too, but it was green and musky, not the smoke of fire. Roman gasped; surely this was the evilest room of them all. 

"Okay, so here's the plan," Roman said, "We get in and get out, real quick-like! It'd be a bad idea to stay in there too long, I think. So we need to hurry up." Remus pouted.

"But we need time to mess the place up! Make evil know for sure that we won't stand for their evilness ever again!" Remus frowned in thought, and then with a smile, gasped. "I know! We will put poo everywhere."

"No!" Roman exclaimed, "That'll just announce to the world that we were here. No way."

"But it'll cover up our scent!" Remus argued. Roman shook his head and crossed his arms.

"Absolutely not. Let's just get inside and do our job, we don't have all day." Roman said, glancing around in worry. He was pretty sure it would be a while before the Evil Leader was back, but he would rather be safe than sorry. "Let's go!"

Remus nodded, and the two ran over to the Evil Leader's office door as fast as their little legs could carry them. Remus immediately pulled out his special spy lock picker, and got to work on the door. Roman stood nervously by, reminding himself that heros were brave. He had no reason to be afraid.

The minutes ticked by, and Remus was still working on the door. Roman frowned.

"Remus?" He asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why's it takin' so long?"

"I can't get the key inside the door," Remus pouted, "I dont know why, it should be working! I made this specially with dad's old toothbrush and a rubberband. It's the best spy equipment ever!"

"Lemme see," Roman shoved Remus aside, who lightly kicked him in the leg for it. Roman glared, but didn't react otherwise. He looked at the door to see what Remus was having trouble with. He facepalmed.

"Remus?" He said.

"Yeah?"

"The door is already unlocked!" 

"Oh!" Remus grinned, tossing his special spy gadget over his shoulder without another thought. "That's good! Less work for me!"

Roman rolled his eyes, shoving the door open and grabbing his brother's wrist to pull him in the room with him. Once inside, they carefully shut the door behind them. That way, they'd have more time to hide if the Evil Leader came back in while they were inside. This mission was too important; they couldn't afford to get caught.

"We're in!" Roman whispered into his invisible earpiece, hoping the person on the other end would hear. They were usually pretty quiet, unfortunately, but Roman knew they would send help if they really needed it. He looked around the super secret evil office lair, and frowned. "So, where are we looking first? The super weapon and files are super secret. Where would you hide them?"

"In the toilet!" Remus helpfully supplied. 

"No, that wouldn't work. It's too wet. Where else..." He looked around carefully, and then gasped with excitement, "The closet! It's perfect!"

The two scurried over to the doors, and pushed them open and peered inside. Their eyes grew wide with excitement as they realized they had found the jackpot. This was where the weapon and the files were hidden, they could see. This mission was going well!

"Now," Remus announced, his voice quiet, "Now we just gotta see for ourselves what the super weapon really is."

The bag in front of them had to be where it was hidden, Roman knew. The shiny white bag had to be some sort of protective casing, so it made sense that the Evil Leader would hide it there. Roman reached out, and took a hold of it, careful not to jostle its contents; what if it was explosive?

He set it down just outside the closet door, so it was settled in between himself and Remus. With a nod to his spy partner, the two carefully lifted off the bag. They stared at the item with wide eyes. Inside, sat...

A crown?

"Huh." Remus said, slightly disappointed, "That was a lot less evil than I hoped."

"Remus!" Roman gasped, "We are spies against evil! We don't want evil!"

"Well, maybe not!" Remus complained, "But I did want some excitement! That would've been nice! It's cool, but nothing too evil to stop. Boooooriinnnggg."

The two stared down at the magic crown in front of them, shining with power and jewels on top flashing different colors. It may not have been evil, but it surely was powerful. Roman's eyes shone brightly in the light, as he stared at it in amazement. He shook his head to focus. 

"I think it's a weapon." Remus stared with wide eyes, and Roman nodded.

"Must be a magical crown weapon," He agreed, "Probably gives the user magic powers!"

"I bet the evil guys are gonna use it to take over the world!" Remus said, grinning, "Cool!!"

Roman frowned. "Well, the only thing we can do now is to take it out of their evil hands," He announced. "I will take it with me, for safekeeping."

"What?!" Remus exclaimed, "No way, I get it! I found it!"

"We both found it!" Roman argued, as the charade of their imagination started to tumble away from behind them. "I found it, and Dad wouldn't get that for you. Clearly it's a gift for me!" He paused, "Uh, I mean, Spy Headquarters would want me to take care of it!"

Remus gasped indignantly, no longer a spy. The evil lair fell away their thoughts until they were left in their father's bedroom once again, staring at a plastic crown with plastic jewels lighting up at the top. The protective case was but a plastic Walmart bag, and the blinding power was only some batteries and lights. The imagination faded, and Roman and Remus the spies were once again just Roman and Remus the kids, no longer fighting for good, but for the crown.

"Dad got it for me!" Remus argued, pointing to a spot on the crown, "Look, it's got green on it! Dad knows that's my favorite color!"

"Well, it's also got some red!" Roman exclaimed, pointing out another painted spot, "It's clearly mine!"

"Uh uh!" Remus reached out, grabbing a hold of the crown and preparing to yank it out of Roman's hands. Roman held on tightly, ready to defend his prize. A voice stopped them both in their tracks.

"Kids!" Thomas yelled from downstairs, "Dinner is ready, and Patton is awake and he misses you! Come down!"

Neither dared to move, looking at each other with fear in their eyes. Roman snapped out of it first.

"Okay Dad, we're coming!" He shouted, and then he and Remus immediately got to work returning the crown to its hiding place. Remus carefully wrapped it up in the bag, and shoved it back to its corner of the closet. Roman shut the doors without a word, and the two glanced around the room. It looked undisturbed, like no one had ever been in there, sneaking a peak at gifts they weren't supposed to see. Satisfied that they were safe, the two boys closed the bedroom door behind them, and went down to get some food.

* * *

Dinner usually was a little wild in the Sanders' household. It'd often end in Thomas scolding Roman and Remus for fighting, or Remus and Roman joking around so much that baby Patton couldn't stop laughing to eat and dinner took twice as long as usual. Brief food fights were not uncommon. Sometimes, on particularly good days, Thomas would even join in on the joking around, but usually he had to stay the mature one. Unfortunately. So Remus and Roman would take over arguing and shouting and laughing.

Tonight, however, was the exception from this chaos.

"This food is amazing!" Remus exclaimed, shoveling food into his mouth like some animal. Roman gagged in disgust as Remus continued to speak with his mouth full; didn’t the boy have any manners? "Thank you Dad, it's great!"

"Oh, uh, thank you Remus." Thomas looked a little confused, but complimented nonetheless. This wasn't usual for Remus. "I appreciate it."

"You're like, the greatest cook ever Dad. You should be a chef!" Remus added, mouth still full of food while he neglected to chew like a normal person. No insults and no gross comparisons; this wasn't like any Remus Roman had ever known. 

"It's just leftovers Bud," Thomas laughed. Roman looked back and forth between his father and brother. Once, twice, three times... He gasped when realization struck him.

That scoundrel! Remus was clearly trying to get on Thomas' good side, so that he would give the crown to him as a gift. He wanted the crown all to himself! He was trying to fool him! And at dinner, nonetheless!

That just wouldn't do at all. Roman had to take things into his own hands.

"Dad, I agree! I can't believe we're so lucky to have such an amazing chef for a father," Roman smiled widely, filled with a false pride in his father's cooking. Remus gasped indignantly, mouthing a silent _ 'I'll get you' _ threat, but Thomas didn't seem to notice.

"You boys are so sweet today," Thomas said, "Thank you two. Maybe tomorrow we can all cook dinner together, as a family, how's that sound?"

"Yay!" Patton shouted from his high car. Thomas chuckled.

Roman and Remus glared daggers at each other from across the table. Remus was upset Roman had stolen the spotlight of his plan, while Roman was determined to minimize the effects his brother's plan had already had on their father. Both knew they had to be the one to get the crown. No matter what.

"Uh, boys?" Thomas looked back and forth between his sons in confusion. "You guys alright?"

"Yeah," Roman broke the staring contest first, smiling innocently at his father, "Yeah! That sounds great, dad!"

"Yep! And thanks for dinner! It tasted great, not at all like roadkill!" Remus added, as the two started to climb down from their chairs, "We're gonna go play now, bye dad!"

Before Thomas could get another word in, the two boys were gone.

* * *

"You know what must happen, dear brother," The prince said. He paced the throne room with a graceful, yet pridefully arrogant, walk as he circled his brother, "Dad cannot give his kingdom to both of us."

"And you think he'll give it to you!" Remus scoffed, "Fat chance!"

"Remus!! Royalty didn't say 'fat chance', they said elegant words!" Roman temporarily paused in his pacing to stage whisper. Remus shrugged.

"How would you know?" He muttered, "You weren't there! Royalty can say whatever they want."

Roman pouted, but returned to their game nonetheless. The walls of the castle throne room quickly built themselves up as their imagination resumed its play, and the boys' pajamas transformed into royal suits and capes. Roman pointed his  ~~ pool noodle ~~ sword at his brother.

"Only I can take care of the kingdom, brother!" Roman proclaimed, "Surrender your right to the crown, and we shall live in peace!"

"Haha! Fat chance!" Remus exclaimed, pulling out his own weapon, a glorious morning star (or a pool noodle with a balloon taped to the end of it; whichever you prefer). "I will duel you for the right! Then leave you to rot in the dungeon! You can befriend the rats."

"Ew!"

Roman steadied his sword, and Remus did as well. The two circled each other carefully just as they had seen people do in movies, preparing to fight, and just waiting for the right moment to do so. Both knew the "right moment" would never come, they'd just have to charge in when they were ready. They grinned.

Both shouted out a battle cry, running at each other full speed. The two met in the middle with a clash of their weapons, whacking each other repeatedly, desperately trying to take the other down. They fought and fought and fought and fought until-

"Roman! Remus!" A shout came from outside their closed door, and the twins froze. "Go to bed! You have school tomorrow!"

They were caught! The royals quickly dropped their weapons to the ground as the magic faded away, and they ran full speed to their beds. Remus climbed up the ladder just as it faded away from its beautiful marble to plain old dirty wood again, and Roman climbed under his covers just as the magnificent chandelier transformed back into their nightlight. The room went quiet.

Neither twin spoke for several long moments, listening carefully for the telling footsteps outside their door that would lecture them for yelling and playing instead of sleeping. They didn't come. They stayed silent a few moments longer, just in case.

"I have a better idea than a duel, Remus," Roman whispered after they were sure they were safe. Remus muttered a quiet "Hmm?" in response.

"Let's just try and show Dad why we deserve the crown. It'll be competition, and we can see who earns it," Roman suggested, "Deal?"

Remus yawned. "That was my idea already, ya know. You stole it from dinner."

"Maybe."

"Okay, well... I don't really care," Remus mumbled, already sounding like he was half asleep, "But tomorrow. We can start then."

"Deal."

And so it began.

* * *

"He's cheating!" Roman exclaimed, "I know he is! He's fooling Dad!"

He kicked a rock across the yard angrily, and then threw himself onto the ground to begin pouting. It just wasn't fair. After he had made the deal with his brother two nights ago, Remus had completely changed his demeanor when around their father. While he was usually loud and obnoxious and crazy, he had suddenly turned into an angelic and perfect son. And worse,  _ his dad was totally falling for it _ . It made no sense at all!

"He's gonna get the crown, I just know it." Roman said sadly, sighing and slumping over. 

His friends looked at each other and frowned. Remy walked over and set a hand on his shoulder, awkwardly trying to comfort him. Remy was the oldest of the group, a grade above Roman, but had been a family friend of his since they were babies. Roman appreciated the kind gesture.

"Roman..." His other friend, Logan, sighed, "You know none of this would've happened in the first place if you'd just listened to your dad. Why did you two go look through your birthday presents anyways?"

Roman glared at him. Logan was the youngest of the three, just a few months younger than him, but was always the one suggesting the most 'mature' solutions. And the most boring ones!

"Because we had to know what he got us, duh!" Roman exclaimed, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest. He stood up, and dramatically put the back of his hand to his forehead. "If we didn't know, we would've  _ died _ , Logan, died! Just like this!" Remy laughed as Roman gasped, falling onto his back and sticking out his tongue, feigning death. He stayed quiet for as long as he could. After around 10 seconds, he peeked one eye open. "See? Just like this."

"That is a falsehood!" Logan exclaimed, stomping one foot. "And you know it! You would not have died."

"You don't know that," Remy giggled, "Maybe Roman is allergic to the unknown."

"I am!" Roman nodded, confirming. He sat back up with a lopsided grin. Logan glared.

"That is not real! Mama is a doctor and I will ask her, but I'm telling you," Logan insisted, "That's not possible!"

"No!!!" Roman gasped, "Don't tell your mama!! She'll tell my dad!"

"Don't be a snitch!" Remy laughed. He didn't really care what happened, but he thought this situation was extraordinarily funny. He didn't want it to end quite yet.

"Fine..." Logan muttered, "I won't... But this is still your fault. You knew you shouldn't have looked in the closet for the gift. This is your fault entirely!"

"Ughhhhh," Roman groaned, "You're no fun. I shouldn't have even told you. I wanted you guys to help me, not lecture me!"

"I can help, I have a FABULOUS idea!" Remy exclaimed suddenly, jumping to his feet, "Ro, just steal the crown!"

"What?!" Both Roman and Logan shouted at the same time, but their reactions were vastly different. Roman looked shocked and excited, but Logan just looked horrified. Remy beamed.

"Just steal the crown tonight. Hide it and you can keep it at my house, or something, probably." Remy said, "Your dad doesn't know you guys know about it, right? So he won't even suspect you!"

"But Remus will," Logan deadpanned. And Remy grinned, a mischievous look in his eyes. 

"Well, if he wants to tattle on you... He's gonna have to admit he snuck a peek at the present too. He can't snitch without getting himself in trouble too."

"No-" Logan started to warn. Roman gasped.

"You're right!!!" He exclaimed, running over to Remy and grabbing him by both shoulders, shaking him vigorously, "Remy, you're a genius!!!!" 

"Well, duh I am!" Remy laughed as Roman hugged him tightly, and then looked around quickly, "I gotta plan! You guys gotta help me!"

"I will not have any part in this!" Logan exclaimed, "Mama and Mom would be disappointed. You're lying and stealing! You can't do this!"

"Oh lighten up, Nerd!" Roman said, then frowned. A new idea formed in his head as his expression changed to a pleading one.

"Please help us Logan?" He asked, pouting, "You're super smart. We really really need your help, we can't do it without you."

"Yeah, Lo, help us out!" Remy agreed. Logan looked back and forth between the two, narrowing his eyes in suspicion, trying to will himself to say no. Sure, these two were his closest friends in existence who had helped him everytime he needed it without fail, but he couldn’t help them now. It’d be wrong, right? He battled with his own mind.

He lost.

"Fine..." Logan sighed. "Let's make a plan..."

* * *

Being betrayed is one of the worst feelings in the world.

Spy Roman knew this, as he ran through the halls of the enemy's lair once more without his partner. He couldn't trust him anymore! Spy Remus had done something unbelievable: he had made a deal with the enemy. He just wanted the weapon for himself all along! That was his plan. Spy Roman had to get it himself, without anyone knowing, and save the world. It was the only way.

He ran down the hall but stuck close to the shadows, trusting them to guard him from sight. He couldn't let the Evil Leader or his ex-spy partner catch him, he had to be quick and stealthy. 

He approached the Evil Leader's office door once again and pushed it open, glancing inside to double check for cameras. There were none. 

"All is going to plan," He whispered into his earpiece, frowning when no one responded. The Evil Leader surely must have some kind of communication blocker. Spy Roman was on his own here, so he had to be careful. He would stick to Logan's plan, and be as careful as possible. He'd be in and out.

_ "Just run in while Thomas is getting Patton down for this nap," Logan had instructed, "That'll be sure to keep him distracted. You can sneak in, grab the crown, and run out. Don't touch anything else! There’s your plan. I’m not helping with anything else!" _

True to his word, Logan hadn’t given him anymore information than that. Stuck with no other options, Roman fully intended on following this plan exactly. He couldn’t afford a mistake.

He shut the door behind him carefully, and got down on his hands and knees to crawl across the floor towards the closet, where he knew the weapon would be. The Evil Leader hadn't ever found out about his or Remus' previous break in, thank goodness! So he was sure it would be in there. Roman approached the closet carefully... and froze.

The door was closed, but he could see the light inside was on from the gap under the door. Worse... there was someone, or something inside! He could see their shadow!

Roman's eyes went wide. Was it the Evil Leader? Had he just been caught? He felt himself start to panic, immediately searching for excuses to give to him, so that his mission wouldn't be compromised. But why would the Evil Leader be hiding in there? He would never do that. It didn't make any sense. It had to be someone or something else!

Roman took a deep breath, steadying himself. A spy had to be brave. He could face whatever was in there; he had to defend his mission. After all, the fate of the whole world was at risk! He had to be brave and take the crown weapon out of the Evil Leader's hands before his ex-partner could get his hands on it.

He didn't have much of a choice now, did he?

Roman reached over his back and grabbed the sword from his backpack. He would defend himself at all costs. He clutched it tightly, and approached the door carefully, slowly, and silently.

"One..." He whispered under his breath, closing his eyes, "Two... and.... and...." He inhaled and exhaled. "Three!" 

Roman swung the door wide open at once, and gasped.

"Spy Remus?!" He exclaimed, then frowned deeper, "And... Virgil?" 

Virgil waved awkwardly, and the other spy glared.

"What are you doing here?!" He exclaimed, "Are you infiltrating our mission, you poop head? You are, aren't you!"

"What? No!" Roman said, "I'm getting the weapon to keep it safe from an evil villain like you! You'll use it to take over the world!"

"Yeah, duh!" Remus grinned, and then looped his arm through Virgil's and pulled him closer to him, "And Virgey here is gonna help me! We're gonna rule the world and make princes illegal!"

"Uh," Virgil's eyes grew wide, "I'm just here 'cause Thomas is watching me for my dad... Remus dragged me into this."

Roman ignored him, and immediately pointed his sword towards the two of them. "You shall never do this, evil villains! This prince won't let you!"

"Wait," Remus stopped, "I thought we were spies. Are we playing royalty again?"

"Uh..." Roman thought for a moment, frowning. He then shook his head. "No, still spies. Obviously I got a promotion! I'm a prince-spy now!"

"Ah, okay," Remus nodded. "Makes sense."

"Wait, that's not a thing!" Virgil protested. He was ignored. 

"I got a promotion too, because I joined the Evil Ones!" Remus exclaimed, grabbing his own weapon. "Now I'm an evil duke-ninja, and a part time king! And Virgil here is a ninja-knight!"

"Those aren't things either!!" 

Remus grabbed the crown suddenly and shoved it into Virgil's hands, then turned to Roman. His brother growled, holding his sword tighter and preparing for war. He had to get the crown back at any cost!

The Duke-Ninja-Part-Time-King ran towards Roman and tackled him. Roman whacked him in the head with his sword and sighed when it didn't work. Whoever decided to make their weapons out of foam should be fired, he decided. He would see to it immediately. He wasn't the boss now, but that was okay! Once he had the crown he'd become the most powerful spy ever, and surely that'd give him firing power too. 

Remus took advantage of Roman's distracted thoughts and whacked him in the head with his new  ~~ wrapping paper roll  ~~ morning star. Roman shoved him back. The two warriors fought bravely.

Virgil watched awkwardly as the two fought and hit each other with their fake weapons, and sighed. Next time he was totally going to ask to stay with his cousin instead. Janus would never do something as ridiculous as this.

"You'll never get the crown!" Remus exclaimed, and Roman dodged a blow from his morning star, then dodged again, and again, and again. He looked towards the crown, and made a quick plan. All he needed was one opening, one opportunity, and he could get through... All he needed to do was create a distraction. He grinned.

"Hey Remus," He said, and then grabbed the pillow from the Evil Leader's bed. Before Remus had time to react, he threw it at his head, blinding him for just a moment... And that moment was all he needed!

Roman ran across the room and tore the crown from Virgil's hands, who didn't really try to fight back all that much. Spy-prince Roman grinned the moment he had the weapon; he won! He placed the crown weapon upon his head in a moment of triumph.

That was when he heard the battle cry. He gasped as he turned around, and watched as Remus ran directly towards him. He didn't stop. Roman watched in horror as Remus tackled him, and his arms flailed wildly as they both fell to the ground. Pain shot through his whole body. The crown fell from his head. Neither moved as they regained their breath. Time had seemed to stop.

It was Roman who broke the silence.

"Maybe we should call it a tie?" He asked, still not moving. He didn't want to surrender but... that kinda hurt. His back ached from hitting the floor so hard. He didn't want the fight to continue or else, maybe one of them would damage something in their dad's- The Evil Leader's room. That would surely cause trouble.

"Uh... if you want to." Remus said, "But I totally would've won, just so you know."

"Lies!"

"Uh, guys-" Virgil interrupted. They both sat up, looking at him in question, "I don't wanna ruin the battle for you and all, but uh... Maybe you guys should look at the crown."

Roman and Remus gasped the second they saw what he was referring to. The crown, the weapon... It had a huge crack down the side, no longer connected in a loop. The jewels were bent out of shape, and the paint was chipped off the side. 

It was broken.

The imagined scene vanished within seconds. They were no longer spies, scared of getting caught by the Evil Organization...  _ They were just kids, and they were totally getting grounded. _

"What do we do?!" Roman exclaimed, "Dad's gonna be so mad!!! Remus, he's gonna know!!"

"I don't know!" Remus shouted back, "How am I supposed to know?! We're gonna get in so much trouble... Dad's gonna ground us for months!"

"He's gonna be so mad..."

"Even madder than when I made garbage soup." Remus panicked.

"Okay, okay, wait. I have a plan!" Roman said, "We can just fix it! He'll never know, we just gotta fix it and we'll be all good!"

"How?!" Remus demanded, "I don't know how to fix that! Ro!"

"We'll figure it out!" Roman picked up the toy crown cautiously, carefully avoiding damaging it even more. He turned to Virgil, "Can you go downstairs and make sure Thomas stays down there?"

"What?" Virgil crossed his arms and glared. "You're dragging me into this? I didn't break it!"

"Please Virgey?" Remus pouted, "I'll stop putting worms in your shoes for a week if you do."

"You gotta stop doing that anyways!" Virgil exclaimed, and then sighed. "Fine... I'll try an' distract him for you... You better hurry up though, I didn't wanna spend my day like this. I have a life, ya know."

"Thank you, bestie!!" Remus ran over and hugged the shorter boy tightly, who awkwardly hugged back. He let go and grabbed Roman by the wrist, tugging him out of the room. The two raced into their own bedroom.

There, they quickly got to work. Remus grabbed his tape and scissors and glue, while Roman took out his paint kit. They placed everything on the floor in a pile and set the crown in the center, on top of their rug. They nodded to each other, and the project began. 

Tape was cut, paint was added, glue smothered over the whole thing. They painted and colored and fixed it all up the best they could. They glued the torn edges back together and added tape to the inside to secure it. They worked together to try to push the bent plastic back into shape, and mixed various colors together in an attempt to match the gold of the crown. It was a bit too red, but they figured it was close enough. They painted over the chipped paint with ease. Then they carefully shoved all the excess tape into the bathroom garbage and rinsed the brushes in the sink while they waited for the paint to dry. Luckily for them, they had only needed a light coat. It didn't take too long.

The two stared at the finished project with pride in their eyes. 

"We did it!" Remus exclaimed, and the two highfived. They scooped up the crown and returned it to its place in the closet, and shut the door behind him.

No one would ever know.

* * *

Their birthday began with a wonderful breakfast Thomas ordered for them. Pancakes from McDonalds! Not exactly a gourmet meal, but it was one of Remus' and Roman' favorite foods, since they didn't get fast food too often. It was a nice special treat.

They went to school and had a fun time with friends and a relatively easy time with their lessons. Then, they raced each other home, living only a few blocks away from the school. They were going to have cake and presents! They couldn't wait to see what they got!

Well, they both knew what at least one of the gifts were, but that didn't make it any less exciting.

Now Remus and Roman sat on the living room floor, Patton crawling besides them and playing with his own toys while their father watched. They opened each gift with enthusiasm and excitement. Remus got a new slime kit, and Roman a kareoke machine. They both got new art supplies. They got costumes to play dress up in!

And then they were out of gifts. Remus and Roman looked at each other in confusion; where did the crown go?

"You two look confused," Thomas said, amusement in his voice. "What's wrong?"

"Uhh," Roman shot Remus a panicked look, "Nothing!" Thank you for the gifts!"

"Yeah, thanks Dad!"

"Danks!" Patton echoed. Thomas chuckled, then snapped his fingers as though he had forgotten something. He was a good actor, but it was clear he wasn't really trying all that hard right now. The 'forgetting' was an obvious act.

"Oh wait, I did forget something!" He said, standing up and walking into the kitchen. He came back into the living room several moments later, holding two mid sized gifts, and set one down in front of each of the boys. "Here you go."

The twins tore open the wrapping immediately, and both gasped at the same time.

Two crowns, identical to the one they had been fighting over... But neither showed any markings of ever being damaged, no paint or tape or glue to be seen. They looked to each other in amazement, when Thomas chuckled.

"Did you guys really think I wouldn't notice?" Thomas asked. Remus and Roman immediately turned bright red in embarrassment, and both jumped to deny it.

"What- notice what?" Roman asked, while Remus just shrugged and pretended not to notice what was going on at all.

"I could tell you two broke and tried to fix the crown, then someone called me the next night. Virgil felt guilty and told me everything you two did," Thomas said, "And I was going to ground you both, until I saw how you two finally stopped fighting."

"Huh?" 

"You two fought non stop over that crown, didn't you?" Thomas asked, and Roman nodded slowly, regretfully. "I was going to ground you for that, and for sneaking to look at the gift, and for fighting so much you broke it... But I think you two learned your lesson. And then you two worked together to fix it and planned all that out. You two learned your lesson, and you worked so hard to fix what you did. And you worked together while you did it."

"So..." Remus looked hopeful, "We're not in trouble?"

"I'm going to let it slide just this one time," Thomas smiled, then shook his finger at the two, "But I better not hear of this happening ever again, understand? I paid good money for that first crown, and now it's trash!"

"Wait, you didn't throw it out, did you?" Roman asked suddenly. Thomas shook his head.

"Not yet, why?"

"Um... Can we keep it?" Roman asked slowly, "I love these new ones but... that one is kinda special."

Remus nodded. "I need it to take it over the world- Ow!" He rubbed his arm where Roman elbowed him. "It was a joke!"

Thomas laughed, "Alright, sure. You two can share that one."

"Thank you!" Roman exclaimed, and both of them got up and ran over to hug their dad. "Thank you dad!"

Thomas smiled and hugged them back, and all three grew even more joyful when Patton came over to join the hug as well, babbling his baby nonsense. 

"I love you guys," Thomas said. "And happy birthday, Roman and Remus. I hope you two enjoyed your special day."

They certainly did. Their birthday may have been filled with fights and resolutions and betrayals in imagined adventures, but it was still a good one. That day would become their favorite birthday to remember, and neither would ever forget it.

How could they? After all, it was hard to forget about something sitting right in front of you, like the crown that sat on their dresser for years to come. 

Neither planned on moving it anytime soon.


End file.
